


Memories Make Us

by Deyinel



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Altered Memories, Arguing, Brainwashing, Constructed Reality, Gen, running out of time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:30:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25040146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deyinel/pseuds/Deyinel
Summary: Danny wakes up one morning to find himself living in Vlad's mansion in Wisconsin. His mother is married to Vlad, he is their son and he seems to be the only person to remember anything! This is Vlad's latest plot to get what he wants and it just might work. Whatever happens, Danny had better figure out something quickly because he is gradually losing his memories...
Comments: 9
Kudos: 26





	1. Fading Dream

Memories Make Us  
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. If I claimed to own Danny Phantom, Danny Phantom would probably beat me up.  
Aaaand…here’s my pitch!  
So, Danny and Vlad are definitely my favorite characters. This story is heavily influenced by Pearl84’s story Checkmate, as well as her writing in general. Much credit to her. She is on fanfiction.net if you are interested in checking out her stories. This is actually the result of some thoughts and ideas that I had while reading Pearl84’s story My Little Badger. I started thinking about what other wishes Vlad could make to Deserae, and what could happen if it didn’t go all wrong for him.  
So welcome to Memories Make Us, and enjoy the ride!  
I hope you won’t hate Vlad too much by the end of this story. ;)

Danny woke up slowly. He gradually became aware of the sunlight filtering through the windows, of the softness of his bed and the warmth of his thick comforter giving him the wonderful sensation of resting in the middle of a delightfully warm cloud. He snuggled deeper into the blankets for a moment, and then slowly flickered an eye open to glance at the clock next to his bed. It was already close to eight o’clock. It was summer, so there was no real reason to get up, but his body felt rested, and now that he was awake there was no real point in staying in bed, comfortable as it might be. Besides, if he wanted a shower before breakfast he should probably get up now.  
Making up his mind, Danny pushed back the dark blue comforter and stood up. Contentedly, he wiggled his toes in the thick plush of his cream coloured carpet before drawing the covers up again over the empty bed. He didn’t bother to smooth out the wrinkles.  
Now that he was fully awake there was something niggling at the back of his mind, maybe the remains of some forgotten dream. There was a kind of faint, desperate urgency to the thought, as though there were something that he needed to remember or to do, but even as he turned his attention to it, the feeling grew less. Danny shook himself mentally to clear the last of the memory. Must have been one of those dreams about forgetting an exam or assignment. He’d had those before and they were ghastly. Exams were over now, however, had been for more than a month, and he still had another month of glorious summer.  
First things first though. Danny headed for the bathroom whistling softly, the lingering remnants of his dream already forgotten.

Hope you enjoyed my very short prologue, now here comes the story!


	2. Waking Nightmare

Memories Make Us chapter 2  
Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is not mine. If it were, I would be getting money for this.

Three Weeks Earlier

Danny woke up, and immediately knew that something was wrong. At first, he wasn’t sure what it was; only that something was not how it should be. He opened his eyes and blinked them in the morning light. He was in his room, in his bed, with the soft blankets pulled up under his chin. His bed was so nice and soft and the sunlight glinted between his window curtains to stripe the bed and floor with brightness.  
And the sunlight was coming from the wrong side of the bed.  
Danny sat up.   
It wasn’t just that the window was on the wrong side of the bed, this wasn’t even his bed. And this certainly wasn’t his room. He gazed about him, blinking the sleep from his eyes. This room was huge, bigger than his parents’ room at home, and every inch of it, from the blue velvet curtains to the dresser and desk made of some dark wood, spoke softly to him of real wealth, of handmade articles designed for elegance while still being functional, of one-of-a-kind pieces custom designed. Even Sam didn’t have furniture like this. In fact, Danny knew of only one person who did.  
Danny threw back the bedclothes and jumped out of the huge pile of a bed. He brushed his hands together, as though the sheets had been made of something unpleasant like wet seaweed. When he found that Fruit loop, he was going to blast him into next week. It could only be Vlad who had kidnapped him somehow and whisked him off to Wisconsin or someplace worse. Danny started for the door, and then stopped abruptly at catching a glimpse of himself in the full length mirror next to the dresser. And then the freak had apparently decided to undress him and put him in different pajamas, just to be extra creepy. The ones he was currently wearing were deep crimson and were made of some soft, cool material. They too nearly stank of quality.  
Danny flushed, though whether from embarrassment or fury even he couldn’t say. In any case, the fury quickly mastered him. Inhaling sharply, he called forth his ghost half, shivering slightly as always as the brilliant white rings appeared and flashed over him, bringing with them an icy chill. The next instant he willed his body intangible and phased through the door. Then he was zooming through the mansion’s opulent corridors, desperately searching for the man responsible for this latest scheme.  
The mansion was just as huge and confusing as he remembered from his other visits, and after flying for several minutes without finding any evidence of Vlad that wasn’t a piece of Packers memorabilia, Danny slowed down, and then halted altogether. It was stupid to just run, or fly, around aimlessly, and for all he knew, that might be exactly what Vlad wanted.   
Where would Vlad be?  
Well, he might be in one of his labs downstairs working on some nasty surprises or, given the time, maybe he was at breakfast. Danny’s stomach growled at the thought, and he grimaced. He’d been too busy ghost fighting last night to get supper, and when he’d finally finished stuffing Skulker and three more ghosts into the thermos and dragged himself back home he had fallen into bed without a thought for food. His bed. He glared and his green eyes narrowed. First nail the jerk Danny, then you can eat.  
He was close to the dining room now, a little to the side and only one floor up. He remembered that much from the reunion. So that would be his first stop. Going intangible again, he phased through the floor and ended up on the ground floor in a richly furnished study, though even noticing that it was richly furnished seemed redundant by this point. He phased through the door and then flew swiftly down another carpeted hallway until he came to the large double doors to Vlad’s dining room. Without pausing, Danny phased through these as well, and then swooped up into the air, all set to blast the figure seated at the heavy oak table. Except it wasn’t the figure he had been expecting.  
“Mom?”  
It took Danny almost three seconds to realize that not only was his mom here, at Vlad’s mansion, calmly cutting up her eggs like this was a perfectly normal morning, but he had just appeared before her in ghost form.   
With a gasp, he dove back towards the doors, but froze again when he heard his mother’s voice.  
“Danny,” Maddie said smiling. “There you are, sweetie. I was about to send someone up to check on you. You’re not usually late for breakfast.”  
“Umm…” Danny responded intelligently. He stared at his mom’s expectant face and struggled to form a sentence. “You know I’m half ghost?”  
“Of course Danny,” Maddie answered, sounding slightly worried now. “Are you alright sweetie? Did you have a nightmare?”  
“Uh…” Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe that was the answer. “Does dad know?”   
“Well of course he does.” Yep, she was definitely concerned. Maddie pushed back her chair and stood up. “Are you feeling okay Danny? Let me take your temperature. Change back, alright sweetie?”  
With some difficulty, Danny forced himself to focus. “Mom I’m fine, but what are we doing here at Vlad’s house?” Before his mom could answer, Danny felt the swish of one of the doors behind him as it was pushed open and turned.  
“Good morning son. Good morning Maddie.” Vlad walked casually into the room. This made a little more sense anyway, although it was also strange that Vlad wasn’t at all surprised to see his archenemy in ghost form.  
Danny rallied. “Don’t call me that Vlad, and what are you up to this time?”   
A look of surprise and something else crossed Vlad’s face, but before he could answer Maddie interjected.  
“Darling, I’m worried about Danny.” That was it. Danny really didn’t think he could take any more. He merely gaped. But it wasn’t over yet.  
“Are you alright, Daniel?” Vlad asked, turning back to the teen. “Is there something you need to tell us?” This was nuts, and it had to be a nightmare or something, but if it wasn’t then Danny knew that the only thing he could do right now was play along, the way he usually did with Vlad’s schemes. Then he could hopefully go somewhere and figure out what was going on, or have a nervous breakdown. He took a deep breath.  
“I’m fine. I just had a nightmare and I guess I was still stuck in it or something.” He looked hopefully at his mom and Vlad and was relieved to see them looking slightly less concerned. And wasn’t concern the strangest emotion he had ever seen on Vlad’s face? It had to be faked of course, but it was a more convincing look than Danny had ever seen before. Unless this was a dream, which he was beginning to doubt. It was way too real.  
“Do you want to talk about it Daniel?” Vlad asked.   
Talk about it? Oh right, my ‘dream’. Danny sighed.  
“Nah. I think I’ll just go get dressed. With a wary look at Vlad, who still looked far too genuinely concerned, Danny morphed back into his human form and gestured to the pajamas.   
“If you’re sure sweetie,” Maddie said. She, at least, seemed convinced, though Vlad still looked a little uncertain.  
Danny nodded. “I’m sure. I’ll be fine.” He walked past Vlad as casually as he could and pulled one side of the doors open. He slipped through and let the door slide closed behind him and then inhaled and let the breath out in a rush.  
What was going on here?

Well, well, it appears that Danny is in quite a pickle, no?


	3. Flying and Searching

Memories Make Us Chapter 3  
Disclaimer: I still don’t own it. Nothing has changed so far.  
Here is where the plot thickens! 

Danny stood with his back to the dining hall doors. A wisp of cold slipped through his lips, and he noticed that a green-tinged maid was industriously vacuuming the room next door. Somewhere nearby he could hear the deep, steady ticking of what was likely a very valuable grandfather clock.   
After a moment, he noticed that the ghost maid was watching him curiously, her vacuum idly sucking at one square of carpet, and he raised a hand uncomfortably and waggled his fingers at her. What else was he supposed to do? The ghost bobbed her head respectfully and returned to her work.  
Great, ghost servants. And they probably thought he was Vlad’s son too. Because he was. Apparently. Part of him wanted to corner Vlad and confront him. He had to have had something to do with this. However, part of him wasn’t so certain. He knew Vlad was always trying to pull some new scheme off, but he didn’t usually try to pull the wool over Danny’s eyes as well. It generally seemed to be impossible for him to resist the temptation to gloat. At any rate, Danny had yet to encounter Vlad since the reunion where the man didn’t slip him some kind of exultant smirk. Yet the concern in Vlad’s face had seemed genuine.   
Danny sighed and dragged one hand down his face as though it might rub away his confusion. When he looked up he found the same ghost maid watching him again, although she was still moving the vacuum back and fourth this time. Danny pretended not to notice. He had to think about this, and he obviously couldn’t think here. Nosy green servants aside, he didn’t want to see Vlad again until he had figured out how to react to him.   
Calling his ghost half forth again, Danny willed himself intangible and flew upward, passing through the ceiling. He continued rising until he phased through tile and found himself on the roof of the mansion. He touched down on the smooth, gold tiles and sat, leaning back against the curve of the roof.   
This was definitely Vlad’s mansion. From where he sat, he could look over the large football field on one side of the house, and an extensive stretch of hedge-bordered gardens on the other. A warm breeze touched his face, and Danny inhaled deeply. He needed to figure out what to do. Likely talking to his mum without evidence wouldn’t do any good. She was far too focused on facts and logic. Still, he needed to find someone who would listen to him. If he could find his dad, or Sam and Tucker, he might be able to convince them that something was wrong and enlist their help, even supposing that the whole world had changed and Vlad didn’t just have his mum under some kind of mind control.  
In any case, heading for Amity Park seemed to be his best bet right now. Resolved, Danny stood and braced himself to leap from the roof.  
“Going somewhere, son?”  
Danny started at the familiar voice, and turned to find that he was no longer alone on the roof. Vlad Plasmius stood calmly at the apex of the sloping tile, his fanged mouth cocked in a mocking smile.  
Initial suspicions instantly returning, Danny’s shoulders squared defensively. “I’m not your son,” he retorted automatically.  
“Oh, but I think you’ll find that you are, Daniel.” The warmth from earlier was completely gone, and Danny took a wary step backward on the rooftop.  
“What did you do to my mum Vlad?” he demanded, anger creeping back into his voice. Fruitloop.  
“Look around you Daniel,” Vlad said expansively. He swept an arm out as though offering Danny a gift. “I think you’ll find that it is a little more widespread than my darling Maddie.”   
Danny’s fists clenched at the man’s tone, but then he glanced out in the direction Vlad had gestured, then back at the man suspiciously.  
“You’re not gonna try and stop me?”  
“Of course not Daniel,” Vlad responded mildly. He was straitening his cuffs and jacket as though he were returning to a fancy gathering instead of standing on a roof facing his arch nemesis. “Go wherever you like,” he continued. “All the way to Amity Park if you want to. Just be certain to be back for Dinner. We don’t want your mother to worry, now do we?”  
He sunk through the roof without waiting for a reply, which was just was well, as Danny was currently in the process of choking on his own tongue and couldn’t respond right away. He settled for glaring at the tiles Vlad had recently occupied for a moment before pushing himself into the air.   
Panic was rising, but he pushed it forcefully back down. Vlad had basically dared him to go to Amity Park, but that was still probably his best option. He had to find out what Vlad had changed. Was this some kind of hypnosis, or another world altogether? Amity Park was the best place to start, and if he was lucky, he might be able to convince his friends of what was going on.   
He was already flying toward his hometown, spectral tail streaming behind him like a wisp of smoke. To drive to Amity Park from Vlad’s mansion in Wisconsin took approximately nine hours. Danny could make it in two if he pushed himself. He was pushing himself now. For all he knew, he had very little time to waste before Vlad decided to do something worse. Danny’s only advantage was that Vlad seemed more interested in gloating than in doing anything horrible to him, at least for the moment.   
The weather was perfect; crisp and clear with the early sun warming his back and the sweet smells of summer wafting up from the greenery below him. Unfortunately Danny had no time to enjoy his flight. He pushed himself to the fastest pace that he could safely maintain and pointed himself towards his town.   
Vlad’s words were still running through his mind, and he felt a chill that had nothing to do with the air rushing past him. Part of him wanted to fly back and try to beat some answers out of the froot loop, even though logically that wasn’t likely to work. Anyway, it would probably be better to see for himself if anything else had changed before he confronted Vlad. At least then he would have an idea of what he was up against.  
Danny sighed into the wind, vision straying down to the blur of trees below him. He wouldn’t let the man get to him; he couldn’t. Whatever Vlad had done, it was up to him to stop it, and that’s exactly what he intended to do. Danny clenched his white gloved fists and put on more speed toward home.

It must have been close to lunch time when the familiar welcome sign appeared on the horizon. Amity Park: A Nice Place to Live. Panicked as he was, Danny found that he had to pause at the sign to catch his breath. His heart was going a mile a minute in his thin chest, and his face was stinging a little from the wind. He perched on the top of the sign, letting one leg dangle over the edge and resting his chin on his other knee, and sat there for a few minutes until he felt more or less normal again.   
Everything looked pretty normal from here. There didn’t appear to be any rampaging ghosts or smoking craters in the middle of town. Still, that didn’t mean that nothing had changed. Vlad could certainly be sneaky when he wanted to be. Danny would just have to search for them.   
He opted to head for Fentonworks first. The largest change would probably be there, particularly as he already knew his mother wasn’t home. Still, he went intangible before taking off again. He was not in the mood to tangle with Valerie or his dad. He zipped around and over buildings, at ease in the familiar territory, then suddenly pulled up short, hovering in midair. Well, that was certainly a change.  
Fentonworks was gone. There was no building at all on the familiar corner, just an empty lot, weed grown and studded with old chunks of concrete.   
Danny perched on a nearby building and surveyed the scene. He was getting worried now. Vlad had more than once expressed the desire for Jack’s demise. Was that what had happened in this world? Was his father…no. Danny shook off the mental image with difficulty. He flew to the ground and landed, changing back behind an old, board fence. A woman was walking her dog and she shot him a startled glance when he emerged from behind the fence.  
Danny glanced down at himself and winced inwardly. Of course. He was still wearing the pyjamas from Vlad’s house, and no shoes either.  
“Um…hi,” Danny said awkwardly. He felt like slinking back behind the fence, but this was important. “I’m…uh…looking for Jack Fenton?”  
The woman had been about to hurry on, but she paused, looking doubtful. Her small, brown dog, forgotten, tugged at his lead.   
“The garbage man?” she asked.   
“Yes!” Danny exclaimed excitedly. ‘Garbage man’ meant alive.  
“Why are you looking for him?”  
“Uh….” Stuck, Danny fell back on technical truth. “I’m his son.”  
“I didn’t know he had any kids.”  
Wow, this was an uncomfortable conversation. Danny coloured slightly.  
“Well, he does, and I’m it, so….” He trailed off hopefully.   
“He’s at work I guess.” The woman shrugged. Her dyed red curls bobbed. She seemed less ill at ease now. “Sorry I can’t tell you the rout.” She glanced down at his bare feet again and Danny did his best to smile carelessly, trying to pretend it was normal to be standing in an empty lot in your pyjamas. “You should at least get some shoes on before you go out to play,” she continued, more gently. “You’re going to get tetanus or something, okay kid?”  
“Uh, sure,” Danny replied brightly. He wished she would look away or something so he could vanish.   
He got his wish a moment later. The small dog, impatient, suddenly leaped sideways in a glorious bid for freedom and the woman stumbled, thrown off balance. When she recovered herself, and turned once more toward the empty lot, it was just that; empty.

It took Danny about twenty minutes of searching to find his dad. Jack was actually on break, apparently; having lunch with some coworkers. The garbage truck sat idle nearby, and the smell of old food and rusting metal hung in the surrounding air.   
Danny had been planning to talk to his dad and try to convince him of what was going on, but now he hesitated, invisibly watching. Jack was alive, and seemed to be doing okay. This was obviously Vlad’s special brand of being a jerk, but it was far better than most of the alternatives he could think of. Furthermore, Jack never listened to anything Danny said as a regular rule, and there was no reason for that to change now. Danny was resolved to reverse whatever this was anyway, and his dad probably wouldn’t be much help in the fight against Vlad, even if he believed him.  
Making his decision, the ghost boy lifted off and headed in the direction of Casper High. On the way, he stopped at a used clothing store and hooked a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt that was slightly too big. He managed to find some used sneakers as well, and changed hurriedly, and invisibly, in the employee washroom. He felt a little guilty, but he didn’t have time to go all the way back to Wisconsin for some clothes, and he hadn’t thought to bring any money. Danny shrugged off the feeling. He would either pay them back later, or he wouldn’t need to once the world was fixed.  
Getting to the school was a relief. No longer standing out like a sore thumb, Danny morphed back to human and walked up to the doors confidently, like any other teenager unlucky enough to be roped into summer school.   
It was a good bet that both of his friends would be there. Sam was almost constantly in trouble for being too dismal, and her parents could generally be counted on to enrol her in the summer sewing and home economics classes, while Tucker often took extra science or math courses in the summer.   
It was lunch time here as well fortunately, and Danny passed groups of familiar students, eating and chatting together. No one seemed to recognize him, which wasn’t really a surprise at this point. At least there was no Dash waiting to beat him up. He kept his head down and kept an eye out for Tucker or Sam.   
It was the former that he spotted first. Tucker was sitting with some of his fellow geeks from other classes, absolutely raving about some sci fi show he had seen last night. It was now that Danny realized he had no idea what to say. It was pretty evident by now that Tucker wouldn’t know who he was. How could he convince his friends that…well, that they were his friends.   
Perhaps feeling Danny’s eyes on him, Tucker looked up from his conversation and saw him. Caught out, Danny nodded uncertainly at his friend. Tucker raised an eyebrow and nodded back before turning back to his friends.   
Probably thinks I’m from one of his classes, Danny mused.   
It now occurred to him that he had no idea what to say to convince his friends. His mind was a complete blank. Uncertainly, Danny looked away and let his eyes rove around and spotted Sam this time. She was sitting alone under a tree, reading a huge black book and eating a salad. She seemed a little easier to approach, given that she wasn’t eating with friends, so Danny sidled over, trying to appear as casual as he could.   
“Uh…hey Sam, how’s it going?” he started. Sam held up one slender finger, eyes still fixed on her book.   
“Tell me,” she said in a quiet monotone.  
“Tell you what?” Danny asked.   
“I sit here alone every lunch hour,” Sam said, still in that quiet, emotionless voice. “My clothes and make-up scream ‘Goth’, and I constantly have my nose in a book, so tell me: what else do I need to do to communicate to you idiot boys that I am not interested?”  
This was not going well. Stuck for an answer, Danny fell back on a quip.  
“Buy a cattle-prod?” he suggested.  
Sam snorted at that, and then stopped in surprise. For the first time she lowered her book and violet eyes met Danny’s forget-me-not ones. One eyebrow arched as she looked him up and down.   
Then, “I’ve seen you somewhere before, haven’t I?”  
Hope shot through Danny’s heart.   
“Yes, you have,” he affirmed excitedly. “Do you remember me?”  
“I’m not sure…” Sam began, then her eyes narrowed and she stood up abruptly, her book forgotten in the grass. Danny’s hope faltered as she jabbed an accusing finger toward him. “You’re that Masters kid aren’t you? Daniel, right? I had to go to a tedious party with you and your smug parents.”  
Danny’s heart plummeted.   
“What? No way! That’s not what I…”  
“What are you doing here?” Sam demanded. “Don’t you go to some snooty private school in Wisconsin? Or was my obvious disgust so alluring that you had to come down here just to find me?” The sarcasm was even worse than the anger.  
“No!” Danny tried again. “I’m not that…” he stopped. It wasn’t going to do any good. He could see from her face that she wasn’t going to listen to anything he said at the moment. Worse, they were being much too loud now, and other kids were starting to look in their direction. Some of them had obviously heard what she said and were staring at him curiously. Danny coloured. He wasn’t giving up, but it was obvious that he needed to retreat, at least for now.   
“You’re right,” he said with as much dignity as he could muster. “I’m sorry I bothered you. Enjoy your lunch.” Then he strode quickly around the tree Sam had been sitting against, turning invisible as soon as he was fully behind it. Then he ran, trying not to speculate on what they were saying about him.  
He ran until he found some cover, in this case a large wooden fence, where he could morph. Calling on his ghost powers while in human form was always exhausting, and he barely made it. He would come back, but for now what he needed was more information about what had happened, and there was only one person who could give it to him.  
With a sigh, Danny pushed himself off the ground and began the long flight back to Wisconsin. It was time for another talk with Vladdy dearest. 

Thanks for reading everyone!  
How do you like Sam? I figured she and Tucker wouldn’t be friends without Danny, as they constantly argue and share zero interests.   
I forget if I mentioned this, but this story takes place during season 2 of the show, and will ignore season 3 and the movie entirely, although Danny may still get his ice powers.  
Next chapter is going to be a doozy.   
See you all soon!


	4. Meeting With Uncle Vlad

Memories Make Us chapter 4  
Disclaimer: Not mine. At least I have my fan fictions.  
Welcome to chapter 4. Danny has discovered the changes in his home town, and is flying back to confront Vlad. Let’s see how he does…

This time Danny needed to halt his flight twice to catch his breath and get a drink of water from a nearby stream. So much flying in such a short time was exhausting. At least his panic was ebbing slightly, replaced by frustration and anger toward the person responsible for his current problems. When the castle was finally in sight, Danny paused a final time to collect himself. It was never good to enter a confrontation with Vlad unprepared or off-balance. His archenemy did a good enough job of pushing his buttons at the best of times. 

Right now he needed more information from Vlad, so he was hoping to talk rather than fight, even though punching the smug look off of the Vlad’s face was what he felt like doing right now. At least the billionaire had seemed willing to talk during their previous confrontation.

Landing on the roof, Danny took a deep breath and wondered what the best approach would be. The Froot Loop had essentially sent him off to discover what had changed, so he was likely expecting a confrontation when Danny got back. His mum had obviously been a part of those changes, and Vlad had expressed a desire to keep her in the dark, so if the billionaire was waiting for him, it would probably be somewhere she wasn’t likely to go. 

He decided to try Vlad’s secret lab first. His enemy knew he knew about it, and it seemed to be one of Vlad’s favourite places to skulk. Danny was pretty sure he remembered the lab’s general location; it was a place he usually ended up when he was unfortunate enough to be visiting Vlad’s castle after all, and set about phasing through floors and walls, getting steadily towards the lower middle of the house. When he arrived through the ceiling of Vlad’s private study he allowed himself a satisfied smile. However, before he could look around to locate the fireplace where the switch to the lab’s entrance was hidden, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Vlad stood from the elegant armchair he had been sitting in. The billionaire was wearing a red housecoat over his clothes, a large book clasped in one hand as though he had been contentedly reading, but the arrogant smirk the man was wearing gave him away. 

“Welcome home, little badger. How was your flight?” Vlad’s voice was dripping with fake interest which set Danny’s teeth on edge. The half-ghost teen landed on the polished wood floor, but stayed in his ghost form. He was trying to stay calm. He didn’t want Vlad to have the emotional advantage in the confrontation to come.  
“It’s not my home,” Danny said automatically.

“And yet you seemed to miss it so quickly.” Vlad placed his book on an end table and gestured at the marble clock on the fireplace’s mantle. “It’s only been five hours since you left. You can’t have spent more than forty minutes at Amity Park. Not that I blame you. I can hardly stand to visit that backwater myself.”  
Danny glowered. He wanted so badly to blast that smug look off of Vlad’s face, but he controlled himself. He needed information, and he wouldn’t get it if he started a fight. Afterwards would be a different story.

Instead he took a deep, calming breath and answered. “I didn’t need to spend a lot of time there to see what you did to my dad and my friends.” A new thought occurred to him and his scowl deepened. “And what have you done with Jaz? I didn’t see her at school, and you seem to have erased my house off of the face of the earth!”

“Why, dear Jasmine?” Vlad’s smirk widened slightly. “Such a studious daughter. She’s away this weekend visiting her new college campus. Early acceptance you know, my boy. She doesn’t begin school there for a couple of months, but the darling girl is so excited.”

“If _you_ think…” Danny started in an angry growl, but Vlad cut him off, taking a step closer, blue eyes burning with intensity.

“You see Daniel,” he pressed, “I allowed you to look around because I knew you would see that your family is so much better off this way. Your sister receives all the academic support she needs to nurture her brilliance properly. She is not distracted by having to solve problems and be an adult in her own home. Your mother has an attentive husband and partner who can research ghosts with, and who actually listens to her needs. You, my boy, are accepted and loved by your family for who and what you are. You can use your ghost powers to your heart’s content without fear of being rejected, and you have more time to focus on schoolwork yourself. And as for dear Jack…” Vlad’s eyes flashed red, his voice lowering dangerously. “He’s exactly where he belongs.”

Danny tensed with fury, fists clenched by his sides, than suddenly he relaxed, smirking back at the billionaire. “You really don’t know anything about me, do you Vlad? But I suppose you’re right about one thing,” he continued, resting one gloved hand on his chin thoughtfully. “My dad is at least better off than the rest of us. I know I’d much rather be a garbage man than be forced live here and see _your_ face every day.”

Vlad’s smirk instantly vanished, and his eyes flashed again. “Watch what you say, you little rat,” he spat out. “You had better start treating me with some respect or…” He trailed off meaningfully and held up one hand, summoning pink energy around the outstretched fingers.

Danny crossed his arms, unintimidated. “Or what, you’ll blast me?” He shook his head mockingly. “I don’t think so. That doesn’t sound like a very fatherly thing to do, does it?” Vlad paused, seeming to understand Danny’s meaning. The gathered energy vanished. Danny continued quickly. “I _am_ gonna find some way to stop you, and I’m sure you’ll try to keep me from doing that, but like you said before, I don’t want to upset my mum, or anyone else, so I’ll play this by your rules.” _For now, at least,_ he finished silently. Vlad seemed to relax a bit, the aggression going out of him.

“Very well, Daniel. If we are keeping to our roles I suppose you would like some information about this world, so that no one thinks you are losing your mind, hmmm?” Vlad crossed back to the armchair he had been seated in before Danny’s entrance and sat back down, crossing his legs. He gestured at the armchair across from his, but Danny remained standing. 

“Yeah, I would,” he said, looking at his enemy levelly.

“Well then, feel free to ask me anything, _son._ ” Danny bristled at the address but for once didn’t say anything. He _needed_ answers. “Except for how I did this, of course. I’m afraid you’ll need to find that out for yourself. You should also know that you will not even need to ask for some of the information you want.” Vlad tapped his temples with one finger meaningfully and Danny raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“Simply put Daniel, this world was made for us, to give us everything we need, and what kind of paradise would it be if we couldn’t even remember living in it? Simply let yourself relax and think about the information you require, and it should come to you.”

“Just like that?” _That isn’t suspicious at all._

“Exactly.” Vlad’s smile was frustratingly self satisfied.

“Okay then.” Danny sucked in a deep breath. “But first, if I can ask you anything, how did I get my ghost powers in this ‘universe,’ and how did my mum find out?”

“Easy Daniel,” Vlad told him with a widening of his smile. “My ghost powers were an accident very similar to the incident you know. You, my boy manifested ghost powers on your fourteenth birthday, no doubt as a result of your heritage.” Vlad paused for another smug smile, no doubt thinking about how Danny’s ‘heritage’ had changed, than continued. “But why not try it for yourself? I doubt you will believe the answers I give you. Better to gain the information yourself, don’t you agree.” 

“Maybe later,” Danny said in the flattest tone he could manage. _As if any answers I ‘remember’ wouldn’t be invented by him anyway._

Vlad gave him a look that seemed to indicate that he knew exactly why Danny was hesitating. “But of course, Daniel. Do try at least to remember how to navigate our house though, won’t you? It’s a little suspicious if a young man cannot find his own bedroom, don’t you think?” Danny didn’t answer and Vlad moved to pick up his book again. “If that is all you need for now, why not run along and have some lunch. I’m sure you’re starving after missing breakfast. After that, feel free to do what you like until supper. It is your summer vacation after all.”

Danny felt off balance. He felt like he had lost control of the conversation. He squared his shoulders. “You really don’t care that I’m going to keep investigating? I’m going to find a way out of this, Vlad. I always do.”

“Investigate all you like, Little Badger.” Vlad sounded worryingly unconcerned. “You will eventually learn that there is no way out of this.” He opened his book, thumbing through to find his place again. “I’ll see you at supper, Daniel. Ta!”

The cheerful dismissal set Danny’s teeth on edge, but he turned and flew out of the study anyway with a final glare in Vlad’s direction. He needed to think. 

When he emerged through the floor of the room above Vlad’s study he started for a second as his ghost sense went off, before he noticed that it was just another green-tinged maid busy dusting the mantelpiece. This would take some getting used to. The maid didn’t seem bothered to see him, so Danny ignored her for now, phasing through the wall into some kind of entertainment room. He spared only a glance for the large T.V. and game systems against one wall, before collapsing into one of the cushioned chairs.  
His stomach rumbled, but he ignored it. This was more important. He needed to find somewhere to start investigating, and he didn’t want to try to win his friends over again until he was thoroughly prepared, since they didn’t like him by default in this world.

How had Vlad done this? That was the most pressing question. A change of this scale would take some kind of ancient ghost relic, or some serious magic. Were there any ghosts he knew of who had access to this kind of power? Danny ran a gloved hand through his white hair, considering. Ember had hypnotizing music, but it wasn’t anything like powerful enough to do something like this. Besides, the world itself seemed to have been altered, not just people’s memories. There was Clockwork of course, but Clockwork wouldn’t do something like this, and Danny was pretty sure Vlad wasn’t even aware of the time ghost.

Danny frowned. He _had_ experienced a world with this kind of permanent changes once before. Sam had made a wish which had resulted in Danny having never gotten his ghost powers, among other changes. Desiree. This should be within the wishing ghost’s powers, although Danny had never known her to be particularly obliging with her wishes. They usually had a catch a mile long, unless Vlad had made her an ally some how. Or unless it wasn’t her.

Still, this would give him a place to start, and that place was probably the ghost zone. If Desiree wasn’t there, he would probably run into someone who could tell him where she was after a few ecto blasts. Danny grimaced. Desiree wasn’t an easy ghost to deal with.

The click of the door opening started Danny out of his thoughts. He jumped up as his mother poked her head into the theatre, heart leaping into his throat before he remembered that she knew who he was right now.

“Sweetie?” Maddie looked him over, eyes concerned. “What are you doing in here Danny? Your father said you haven’t eaten today. Are you sure you’re feeling okay honey?”  
 _Thanks Vlad,_ Danny thought sarcastically. He forced a reassuring smile onto his face, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. “I’m fine, mum. I just didn’t really sleep well and I forgot. But yeah, I guess I’m a little hungry.” Another rumble from his stomach underlined his point and Danny placed a hand there sheepishly.” Maddie chuckled.  
“I see you are. Why don’t we eat together? Kristoph is laying it out on the patio.”

“Sure,” Danny conceded. He supposed he really should eat before doing anything else. Then an unpleasant thought occurred to him. “Is Vl… _dad_ eating with us?” He tried to keep his voice neutral, but clenched one hand at his archenemy’s current…title.

“I don’t think so. He said he has a lot of paperwork to do for his meetings tomorrow.” _Well, that’s a relief at least,_ Danny mused. It would have been much harder to act like nothing was wrong with the billionaire smirking at him across the table. Still, he wondered why Vlad’s ‘paradise’ would still include having to do paperwork. Froot Loop.  
“Oh, okay,” the half-ghost answered. He decided he’d better follow his mum. He didn’t want to get lost on the way to the patio. Hesitating for a moment, still not used to doing this in front of his mum, Danny willed the white rings to appear and change him back. He started towards the door, only to stop in confusion as Maddie raised an eyebrow.  
“Where exactly did you get _those?_ ” 

Danny blinked in confusion, than looked down at himself and the second hand outfit he had stolen. He felt himself flush, suddenly very glad he hadn’t changed back in front of Vlad. His enemy would have found it hilarious. He bit his lip, stuck for an answer to his mum’s question.

“Um…I borrowed them,” he tried finally.

“From a garbage can?” Maddie asked incredulously. Danny shot her a surprised look. The clothes weren’t _that_ bad. When he didn’t answer his mother shook her head. “Never mind Danny, I don’t want to know. Just go and change and then meet me out there, alright?”

“Sure mum,” Danny said hesitantly. He watched his mother head off down the hallway, than looked down at himself again. The clothes didn’t look new, but they just looked like normal clothes to him, maybe a little shabby, but perfectly serviceable. Than again, his mother was currently wearing some kind of fancy pantsuit. “I think I know what Sam meant about ‘smug parents,’” Danny mused. He sighed and looked down the hall after his mum. “I guess I’m finding my way to the patio on my own. But first….” Danny transformed once again and phased through the ceiling. 

It didn’t take him too long to find the room he had woken up in. He opened the walk-in closet to find some replacement clothes, and immediately understood what his mother was talking about. “Great,” Danny muttered with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. He pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and dropped them on the bed. They were quite obviously very expensive, despite the simple design. Like the furniture in his room, he could tell the quality just by looking at them. The shirt was navy blue with a logo he didn’t recognize, and so soft he had no idea what material it was made of. The jeans were black and were obviously tailored. He would swear they were hand stitched. Danny sighed and turned to the dresser to dig out some socks and underwear. He pulled off the thrift store outfit and hid it in his closet, behind the disturbingly long row of hanging suit jackets. The thought had occurred to him that he would likely be heading back to Amity Park after a while, and if he was wearing these things he wouldn’t be able to get anyone to so much as hear him out. As he dressed, Danny caught himself grimacing, and by the time he was finished and standing in front of the full-length mirror in the room he was fuming. He was practically the image of Vlad’s ‘perfect son.’ All he needed was the self-satisfied smirk.

“This won’t be for long,” Danny told his reflection. He put as much conviction as he could into the words, than turned from the mirror and once again transformed. Now all he had to do was find lunch and hope he could get through it without his mum thinking he’d gone off the deep end. 

As it turned out, finding the patio was significantly easier than Danny had feared. This was because he had the brilliant thought that a patio was likely to be found outside, and so he simply phased through the roof of the castle and flew in a loop around the edifice until he spotted his mum below him, in between the greenhouses and the massive pool. Sometimes being able to fly came in really handy.

Landing, Danny reflected that Maddie knowing about his ghost powers certainly made things more convenient as long as he was stuck here. He didn’t have to find a bush or anything to hide behind when he changed back. His mum was sipping from a cup of coffee, seated at a table that looked like it was made of polished marble; white with gold flecks. There were artfully arranged plants surrounding the table, and a stone and crystal fountain softly tinkled in the background. Danny rolled his eyes at the ostentatious décor, but he couldn’t help his stomach growling for a third time as he saw the array of sandwiches and pastries laid out on the table. His mum smiled at him when he landed and changed back, nodding in approval of his outfit. 

Danny smiled back, pulled out an ornate metal chair and sat down, quickly taking a plate and loading it with several sandwich halves, two croissants, a scone with chocolate chips in it, and a slice of quiche. His mum blinked as he proceeded to inhale the food. He was much hungrier than he had realized apparently. Missing two meals and going for a four hour flight could do that. When he paused to fill a glass with lemonade from a pitcher on the table Maddie shook her head, smiling.

“Well, your appetite’s fine anyway,” she said fondly. “I hope you plan to get all the bad manners out of your system before the Grays get here for supper tomorrow. You know how I feel about table etiquette among company.” Danny took a long drink, giving him time to process his mum’s remark. 

“Valerie and Mr. Gray are coming over?” 

“Yes.” Danny felt his mum’s eyes on him again and took another drink of his lemonade, trying to pretend he hadn’t noticed. “Did you forget, sweetie? That’s not like you. You were so excited. I know how much you enjoy spending time with Valerie.” Danny shrugged one shoulder, trying to hide his flush. He didn’t just _enjoy_ spending time with Valerie. He had almost asked her to be his girlfriend! He was a little surprised that there was at least one friend Vlad hadn’t separated him from. He wondered suddenly if Valerie knew about his ghost powers. She would certainly be a useful ally if she wasn’t trying to kill him the whole time.

“Oh yeah,” he amended lamely. “I thought it was the day after tomorrow.” He took a rather savage bite out of one of his remaining sandwiches. It would be extremely helpful to have a heads up about some of these things, but he wasn’t quite tempted enough to do what Vlad had suggested; to try _remembering._ Just because his enemy seemed to be confident in his latest trap didn’t mean the older halfa would hesitate to make the playing field even more uneven through some kind of trick.

As he finished eating, Danny let his gaze rove around the patio, then across the manicured lawns and all the way to the woods beyond. Whatever Vlad had said, Danny knew there would be a way out of this, and he would find it. He had beaten his archenemy before and he would do it again. At least he had a little time to explore and investigate. Vlad didn’t seem to be watching him too closely. Danny smiled slightly, taking a last drink of lemonade. A light breeze played with his dark hair and the sun was shining. 

_It’s a beautiful day after all,_ Danny mused, _and I can’t think of a better way to spend it._

Thanks for reading!   
How did my confrontation with Vlad and Danny go? I dearly love when they argue with each other like this, and I hope I did it justice. I guess Vlad didn’t think Danny’s association with Valerie was a problem, eh?  
Now at least Danny, and you guys, have some more information about what is going on, in so far as Vlad can be trusted of course. ;)  
Next up is probably another chapter for Shades Of Self. I’m on fire with updating that story lately!  
See you soon!


	5. More Problems, No Solutions

Memories Make Us chapter 5  
Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is not mine. It will only be mine when the last star burns out…  
Welcome to the next chapter! Vlad has given Danny some time to think. I wonder how that will work out?  
Thanks for continuing to read this story. Danny is just too much fun not to write for.  
My updating has slowed now I’m back to work, but I plan to keep to my goal. One story will be updated at least once a month. I’ll try to do more, but that is my minimum. I’m a couple of days late, but not too bad. Enjoy!

Danny spent the rest of the afternoon familiarizing himself with the house and grounds, as well as he could in a few hours at least. He had decided to put off the trip to the ghost zone until tomorrow. That way he could leave early in the morning and hopefully be back before his absence became suspicious. Whatever Vlad had said about not caring whether Danny tried to foil him, he would probably try to stop Danny from exploring in the ghost zone if he found out. Danny didn’t trust Vlad, and he fully expected the billionaire to come after him the second he discovered anything useful. It would have been nice to go to the ghost zone tonight, especially because he might need to make a few trips, but in Danny’s experience it got significantly more dangerous after dark, and he really wasn’t looking for a fight, at least until he found Desiree. 

While he explored the castle, his mind continued to work. 

He needed to be prepared in case his search for the wishing ghost was unsuccessful, or if it turned out she wasn’t the one who had caused this. He wasn’t entirely sure what his relationship with Valerie was in this universe, whether she knew about his ghost half and whether she was an ally or an enemy. He could have done as Vlad had suggested and tried to ‘remember’ the answers to those questions, but Danny was extremely loath to follow his enemy’s advice. There was a huge possibility that doing so was some kind of trap, and Danny refused to play things by Vlad’s rules more than he needed to in order to keep up appearances. 

He didn’t want his mum to think he had gone off the deep end, so he had agreed to the façade of being Vlad’s son, and all of the unfortunate strings that came with it, but that was as far as it went.

However, it would be worth talking to Valerie and seeing just what she thought of Danny Phantom. She was, among other things, a very effective ghost hunter, and Danny was unashamed to admit that he could really use some help. If she was still a ghost hunter in this world, she might be easier to talk to about a problem a ghost had caused.

His other option was to make the flight to Amity Park once more, and have a shot at persuading his friends. That was his plan if he couldn’t find anything in the ghost zone, and he couldn’t help the nervous fluttering in his stomach when he thought of it. Try as he might, he couldn’t imagine that conversation going well, at least with Sam, who apparently had some unpleasant memories of him in this universe. Maybe Tucker would be easier to convince, though Danny worried about how many people had overheard his discussion with Sam earlier. He dreaded facing them as the person Vlad had turned him into. He didn’t want to hear the things they might say about him. Still, they were his friends, or at least they were supposed to be. Hopefully they would at least be willing to hear him out.

As supper time approached, Danny headed back to the dining room with all the enthusiasm of Jaz at a ghost hunter convention. He was not looking forward to seeing Vlad, especially when he had to play along with everything older Halfa had to say. 

His mum and Vlad were already at the table when Danny arrived. He slid into a seat across from the two adults, jumping slightly when a ghostly waiter lent over his shoulder to drape a napkin across his lap. 

“Did you have a good day, Daniel?” Danny resisted the urge to scowl. 

“It was fine,” he answered neutrally. Another waiter placed a plate of lasagne in front of him and Danny tried not to jump. He cut a corner off the dish and put it in his mouth hurriedly, hoping to avoid more conversation. 

“Anything interesting happen?”

Danny shot his enemy a glance, but didn’t answer. The lasagna had been too hot to eat, and he was busy juggling it rapidly around his mouth in a forgone attempt not to burn his tongue. After a moment he swallowed with difficulty, than took a big gulp from the glass of water in front of him.

“Daniel?” 

Vlad had that concerned voice on again, and Danny wanted to roll his eyes, but resisted. Fire doused, he answered.

“Not really. I was just messing around.” 

“Well, I hope you had fun,” Vlad answered jovially. “You certainly deserve a break after everything you accomplished this spring.” His lips twitched slightly, not quite covering a smirk, And Danny took another savage bite of lasagna. He knew what Vlad was doing. He wanted to tempt the younger half-ghost into having a look at this world’s ‘memories’. Fat chance he was going to do that.

_Tough luck, uncle Vlad._

Danny met the blue gaze, letting a smile of his own form as he answered. 

“I sure did! It’s nice to have some time to yourself every now and then to just _think,_ you know? It’s the best way to figure out answers to your problems.”

Vlad frowned slightly and opened his mouth to answer.

“Oh, Danny?”

Both half ghosts turned, having almost forgotten the orange haired woman was there.

“Yeah?” Danny asked. Maddie was smiling as well. The smile was slightly sly, as though they were sharing a secret.

“A package came for you,” she said. “I think it’s what you’ve been waiting for. Bernadette should have left it in your room. Just in time, don’t you think?” 

Danny quirked an eyebrow, but knew better than to ask what the package was. 

“That’s great,” he said, trying to sound excited. Inside his head Danny was wound like a spring. He was not a fan of this balancing act. He felt like he was one misstep away from going over a cliff. How did Vlad do it all day with his companies, and associates, not to mention Jack and Maddie at least every few weeks? It must be exhausting. _Nah._ Danny shook his head mentally. _The Froot Loop probably enjoys it._ He took a few more big bites of his dinner, polishing off the slice on his plate, then another gulp of water. “Can I be excused?”

His mum looked like she was going to say something, probably about his manners, but then changed her mind. Hopefully she had chalked it up to excitement over whatever had just been delivered.

“All right sweetie,” She said with a smile. “Let me know if you need help wrapping it, okay?”

“Sure!” Danny pushed his chair back, startling the ghost waiter, who had one hand outstretched, as though he was about to do it for him. The teenager frowned, resisting the urge to tell the guy to back off a bit. He had four perfectly functional limbs of his own. He didn’t need all the hovering. 

As he rose, Danny caught Vlad shooting a questioning glance at his mum, which she responded to by waving one hand dismissively. Did Vlad not know what was in the package either? Danny had assumed that the billionaire had planned everything that was happening in this world, but maybe he was wrong. He supposed it would make more sense for Vlad to just create the relationships and big events he wanted, and then to set everything in motion, rather than having to micromanage every event that happened over the years. Not that Danny knew what had caused this yet, or what limitations Vlad had encountered. 

He headed towards ‘his’ room, choosing to take the stairs this time. It gave him a little more time to think, and to unwind a little from the brief interaction with his archenemy. He opened the heavy wood door, slipped inside and closed it with a sigh. At least there was no ghost maid inside. The package was on his dresser. It was only about the size of a glasses case, and when he ripped off the brown paper, Danny raised an eyebrow at what was obviously a jewelry box made of some kind of expensive looking leather. He lifted the lid and found himself looking at a gold bracelet set with teal coloured gemstones. 

It was a girl’s bracelet.

Why had ‘he’ ordered a girl’s bracelet? 

He felt his cheeks grow hot, and put the box down hurriedly. Who was it supposed to be for? Was there someone this version of him had been going out with? He didn’t have a girlfriend in this universe, did he? And what had his mum meant when she said it had arrived ‘just in time’?

It couldn’t be for…Valerie, could it? She was coming to dinner tomorrow.

Danny’s flush deepened, and he picked the bracelet up again, gingerly, examining it more closely.

_The gemstones match her eyes._

He dropped the box again, and walked over to the massive bed, collapsing backwards onto the covers that some ghost servant had straitened. He draped one arm across his heated forehead and stared up at the high ceiling. This was the last thing he needed right now.

What was he supposed to do? He liked Valerie; he liked her a lot. He had even been thinking about asking her to be his girlfriend, but not only was this not his Valerie, but even in the real world their relationship had been very short and had not ended well.

But none of that even mattered right now. Danny _had_ to find out what Vlad had done and reverse it. He didn’t have the time or mental energy to be flustered by Valerie, or to be giving her really expensive jewellery. But he also couldn’t just ignore the bracelet. His mum knew he had ordered it after all, and even seemed to know who it was for. This was something he had to decide about before she arrived tomorrow, and he had no idea what the right answer was.

At least he had some time to brood on it before bed.

He was going to need it.

Danny was up with the sun the next morning. That meant he rose at six o’clock, rolling reluctantly out of a bed that was suddenly even softer and warmer than it had been the night before. Danny had decided that the easiest way to ensure he wasn’t stopped on his way to the ghost zone was to get up before Vlad and his mum, and he knew both of them were early risers. 

He had not slept well. His predicament and the numerous obstacles that stood in his way had made him tense and left his mind wandering, and it had taken sleep a long time to find him. A shower would have been nice, and would probably have pounded through the fog of sleep which still clouded his mind, but Danny didn’t want to risk taking too much time, so he threw on some weirdly fancy clothes from the closet, splashed some hot water on his face and ran the fingers of one hand through his hair. Good enough.   
He shot the bracelet a dark look on his way out of the bathroom. He hadn’t been able to decide anything last night. That was another reason why he hadn’t slept well.

He morphed and went invisible, phasing through the floor and heading back towards Vlad’s private study. He had to dodge a few ghost servants, not wanting them to tell Vlad where he had gone, but the corridors were otherwise clear, and he arrived at his destination after only a couple of minutes. Danny tilted the football on the mantle, then darted down the passage as soon as it opened, closing the secret door behind him. _Well, that was easy,_ he mused as he floated down into the lab proper. He had half expected Vlad to have installed some countermeasures. Did the older half ghost really not care if he went snooping around?

_Unless it’s a trap._

Danny sighed, one gloved hand running through glowing white hair. He wished the option wasn’t so likely, or that it in any way changed what he had to do. Even if this was a trap, he didn’t really have a choice. This was his best option to find out what Vlad had done, and he had to give it a try. Still he spent a little time examining the ghost portal and surrounding machinery, just in case. The portal looked as he remembered it. The machines…might. He honestly couldn’t remember the complete layout of Vlad’s lab, and he hadn’t even known what most of the machines were back then. Tucker might have been able to tell him what some of them did, but without the techno-geek Danny felt completely lost. 

He felt a small pang in his chest. His friends should be here helping him. It was so hard to be facing everything alone. Maybe he should have tried harder to convince them. He shoved the thought away. He could give that another try later if he needed to. For now, he probably didn’t have any more time to waste. Danny’s eyes landed on the lever that opened the ghost portal. He pulled it, then darted through into the ghost zone, He left the portal open. He needed a way back, and hopefully Vlad wouldn’t come in here before then.

The ghost zone looked the same as always. That was a relief. It didn’t mean that nothing had changed, but at least there weren’t giant statues of Vlad everywhere or something. There hadn’t been giant statues of Vlad on earth either, come to think about it. Danny supposed Vlad had been telling the truth about his ambitions. He really didn’t care about taking over the world, or at least he seemed to be content with the money and power he was able to gain through his corporate takeovers.

Danny alighted on a floating rock for a minute, deciding on his first destination. Desiree was the obvious ghost to start with, but he really wasn’t sure where she hung out when she was in the ghost zone, and he had never gone actively looking for her before. She was a pretty ancient ghost, so maybe he should head to that area that felt like a medieval kingdom. If he didn’t find her, maybe someone could tell him where she would be, if they didn’t start blasting him right away, that is. 

It took him at least an hour to get there, as it turned out. This wasn’t his usual starting point, and the ghost zone was difficult to navigate at the best of times. It was a fairly peaceful flight at least, and Danny found himself wondering whether he was just lucky, or whether Vlad’s influence extended farther into the ghost zone than he’d thought. He met no ghosts at all for the first twenty minutes, and after that they were only evident as specks in the distance. 

He needed directions, and in the end he had to chase one of the distant ghosts down. It wasn’t a ghost he recognized, and he wasn’t sure whether the ghost knew him or not. There was a lot of yelling of disparaging comments, as well as a barrage of very weak ecto-blasts from his new acquaintance until Danny finally had to grab the ghost and slap him around a bit to knock the insults out of him. He didn’t have a lot of time to waist, but he didn’t like to use any actual attacks against someone he could comfortably mop the floor with.

“Alright, enough already!” the ghost snapped after thirty seconds of this. He only came up to Danny’s waste and was bright blue with waving purple hair like an anemone. 

“I just need you to show me the way,” Danny said as reasonably as he could manage. The ghost was painfully underpowered, but his ecto-blasts still stung and he was very liberal with them. “You can get back to lurking right after that.”

“Fine, fine. Gimmie a sec though. My head isn’t half spinnin’.” The ghost rubbed at his cheeks, making little ‘ooohs’ of pain as he did so.

Danny waited for close to two minutes without the ghost showing any signs of stopping. Then he raised a hand and knocked the ghost on the head, sending him tumbling a little. The ghost floated back up immediately, brushing imaginary dust off of his faded overalls. 

“Right, I’m done. I’m only takin’ you to the edge of their territory though. Be worth more’n my afterlife otherwise. This way!”

Danny followed with a shake of his head. It took all kinds, he supposed.

With the aid of his reluctant helper, Danny was able to make his way to the area Dora and her brother called home. His companion tried to slip away twice during the journey, and Danny ended up carrying him by the back of his overalls. Once they were within sight of the first set of ruined gates Danny suddenly found himself holding nothing. The ghost waved at him from thirty feet away. 

“Catch you next time, Creepy Kid!” He proclaimed happily, then he took off in a fast but uneven flight that listed heavily to the side. Danny didn’t bother to chase him. He could find his way around now and he had had about enough of his new friend anyway. 

“Though I did finally find a worse name than ‘Inviso-Bill’”, he mused.

Cautiously, Danny flew past the gates, weaving his way through the vaguely medieval scenery. He was leery of revealing himself, and not just because the ghosts might attack him. He was just as worried they would recognize him as Vlad’s son and that Vlad would hear about what Danny was doing. He needed to at least have a lead of some kind before the billionaire figured out what he was doing. So for a while Danny searched around the floating caves, forests and stone buildings by himself. It was tough going. Several times he had to duck behind floating walls to avoid ghostly knights, and once he hid in a cave while a pale green ogre sniffed around outside. He did stop a couple of milk maids and what looked like a farmer and asked them about Desiree, but the name didn’t seem to ring a bell and he didn’t want to risk asking someone higher up the social ladder. After several hours of fruitless flying Danny drifted down to sit on a faintly glowing wall, discouraged and hungry. 

He had known this was a long shot, but the ghost zone was so huge it wasn’t really searchable all at once. It would be easier if he didn’t have to worry about who saw him, but he was really hoping to keep his activities a secret, and he had no idea how far Vlad’s influence had spread. Still, it was depressing to have everything he tried be useless. He didn’t know how long he had before Vlad stopped just gloating at him and did something worse. It was like being in a trap that was slowly closing in tighter around him, but he couldn’t tell how quickly, or even if it was moving at all. He sighed and leant back, looking up at the greens and purples swirling through the ‘sky’. He could feel anxiety curl in his stomach. 

He didn’t have a watch, but he knew it was past lunchtime. He hadn’t thought to grab anything from the kitchen before he left, and he couldn’t afford to make his mum worried, and Vlad suspicious, by being away for too long. At least he had crossed one area off of his list. 

As he lifted into the air again Danny thought about the other ghost he wanted to talk to. Clockwork would know where Desiree was. Whether he was willing to share that information, or willing to give Danny any information at all, remained to be seen. _Next time,_ he promised himself silently. No more wandering around blindly. He _was_ going to find a way out of this; he was the only one who could.

Danny flew back towards the portal, back towards his enemy’s house. Vlad had made the mistake of leaving Danny with his memories. Danny would make sure the older half-ghost regretted that.

Hope you enjoyed!  
Let me know what you thought, and I hope you all are enjoying the twists and turns! Next chapter we should get to see this version of Valerie. I hope you’re excited!  
Next up is probably Shades Of Self. It’s a pretty safe bet.  
See you soon!


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